


the world is yours to explore

by sunflower hwans (DandyDonut)



Category: SPECTRUM (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Gen, Space AU, heavily inspired by the after party mv
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 21:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18786130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DandyDonut/pseuds/sunflower%20hwans
Summary: When the radio chimes with an incoming transmission, Jongchan doesn’t think much of it. Sure, they’re something of a rarity, but this is a supply station, after all. It was probably pissy old government people coming for more rations, anyways.In retrospect, he couldn't have been more wrong.





	the world is yours to explore

**Author's Note:**

> i had smth ive been 'working on' for like nine months but i felt like writing smth completely different? anyways happy one year anniversary to my favourite boys <3 stream after party for clear skin

When the radio chimes with an incoming transmission, Jongchan doesn’t think much of it. Sure, they’re something of a rarity, but this  _ is _ a supply station, after all. It was probably pissy old government people coming for more rations, anyways.

 

Still sitting, he scoots his swivel chair sideways a few paces and picks up the radio mouthpiece, “This is the SPECTRUM Space Station 0510. Head biologist speaking,” 

 

Technically, he was the  _ only _ biologist and one of maybe ten people who had been on said space station in the past decade. But for all intents and purposes, he was the head biologist. 

 

“Requesting docking,” The voice that replies sounds young and nervous. Definitely not someone from the government, then.  

 

“Vessel name and access code?” 

 

There’s a long beat of silence. Bad signal, perhaps? But when the reply finally comes, it’s clear and static-free, “The Delight. And, um, I’m sending in the digital license now,” 

 

The document pops up onto the connected screen with a ping, a green light flashing to indicated that it had passed the automated computer scan. Jongchan squints at it - it’s the typical government-issued license, blocky black letters against a white background with a red border. A matching red stamp is present on the top right corner, the uneven inking telling of the way an ink block was stamped on. 

  
There have been cases of counterfeits passing through the system, but it seems legit enough. It’s not like he can tell though, Dongyoon’s much better at it then he is.  

 

“Approved. Supply restocking, or?”

 

“Yes, please,” The response is immediate, this time. 

 

“Alright. Protocol says for non-government ships, basically private ships like yours, the whole crew needs to be background checked by our system. A hassle, I know, but it has to be done,” Jongchan figures speaking less formally will help the kid loosen up a bit. And besides, he never got the point of the check. To get a ship license, the legal backgrounds of the crew already had to be spotless, and if the system couldn’t even detect a fake license, there was no way it would be able to detect the usually much better made counterfeit fake IDs. 

 

If a crew really was hostile, putting the safety of the supply station staff didn’t seem like a smart thing to do - it just went to show how little the government cared about the people they put on these stations.  
  


“Oh, okay,” The kid says from the other side of the line. “Um, I’ll tell my captain,”

“I’m patching the call to my tech. We’ll be ready for you in a sec,” God, Jongchan feels like he’s working in retail or customer service or whatever they call it these days. Even more so when the person on the other side abruptly ends the call, as in hung up on him. 

  
Transmissions don’t exactly require heartfelt goodbyes, but, really? Jongchan’s only letting this one go because the kid sounded genuinely nervous and he’s not enough of an asshole to deny access over something as petty as this.   
  
Jongchan stands up and stretches his arms above his head. The resulting cracks his back creates makes him wince. He starts towards the exit of the lab, rolling out his stiff shoulders. 

  
His footsteps echo down the empty halls. Empty, empty, empty. It’s a good word to describe a lot of things currently in his life. Feeling restless, he breaks into a light jog.   
  


The elevator has a 50/50 chance of malfunctioning, and Jongchan doesn’t know jack about electrician-technical hardware stuff. Hell, it’s not even Dongyoon’s professional expertise, but he’s had to cover for the two of them. When Jongchan reaches it, he crosses his fingers and punches the open button with his other hand.    
  


No such luck. 

  
The button sticks, hopelessly jammed. Jongchan curses hotly under his breath and turns on his heel. If he sprints like hell, he can probably make it to the airlock hatch without delaying anything. 

  
By the time he gets from the third floor to the first floor, he is three seconds from passing out. Dongyoon, predictably, is already standing there. He doesn’t comment when Jongchan doubles over and wheezes.   


That’s one of the many nice things about Dongyoon - he doesn’t ask questions like ‘why are you late’. If you tell him, you tell him, and he doesn’t do any unnecessary prying. 

“Five seconds,” Dongyoon says after a few moments. Jongchan straightens up and tries to tidy up his lab coat as much as he can.   
  


The airlock door slides open with a familiar hiss. The first thing Jongchan notices about the person who strides through first is his bright blue hair. It’s the only thing unorthodox about his captain getup - his peacoat is crisp and he has an air of confidence.   
  


“Captain Jo Minjae, captain of the Delight,” He says, smile easy and broad.

“These are my interns, Seunghyun and Eunjun. Eunjun’s the one who made the call,” Captain Jo gestures to the two boys who walk in behind him. They’re dressed in identical button-downs and Jongchan has no idea who’s who.

  
The last newcomer says with a mild and polite tone, “I’m the navigator,”    
  
Jongchan gives a thin smile, “I know it doesn’t seem necassary, but all of the crew have to be present,”  _ You don’t need anyone to stay behind and watch when the ship’s in docking mode. _

  
Captain Jo’s smile doesn’t change, “I’m aware. This is the complete crew,” 

His words set off Jongchan’s bullshit detector, which doesn’t even have to be as finely tuned as it is to detect the white lie, “Where is your helmsperson? Engineers? Medic? Maintenance? Doesn’t seem like a skeleton crew, two of them interns, could run a ship like yours,” 

“We’re very efficient people. And, I could say the same,” Captain Jo gestures at Jongchan and Dongyoon, “The two of you running a station like this alone?” 

Jongchan swallows the first words that come to him and instead says in the most friendly way he can, “Captain, these are very different situations. We can’t do anything for you unless you give us the truth,” 

“You’re legally not allowed to refuse after you’ve given clearance,”    
  
Jongchan barely manages to not scoff. This is a first, “Captain, for stars’ sake, just stop avoiding the question,” 

“Look,” Captain Jo almost looks exasperated. It pisses Jongchan off. “You can either just do your job or we’ll force our way in. Then you’ll have an even bigger mess to clean up, both literally and with your superiors,” 

Jongchan feels his irritation spike up. They don’t know any of the access passcodes or where anything’s stored, and they have the gall to try and make threats? 

Suddenly, one of the interns rushes forwards to whisper in Captain Jo’s ear. That alone is enough to raise Jongchan’s mental eyebrows - interns are seldom allowed to do something so casual. That, and the fact that the intern is doing this right in front of him, and at this exact moment. 

Captain Jo seems to hesitate. Off to the side, the navigator looks about as pleased as Jongchan feels.

“Alright,” Captain Jo finally says, “This isn’t the full crew. However,” His gaze glides between Jongchan and Dongyoon, “we’re here for both supplies and additions to our crew,”

  
Jongchan’s brain short circuits, “Excuse me?”   
  
“If it wasn’t clear enough,” The navigator sighs out, reluctance dripping from his words, “We’re here to recruit you two,” 

The clatter Dongyoon's clipboard makes when it drops to the floor makes one of the interns jump.    
  


“Park Jongchan, convicted of high treason,” Captain Jo says casually, as if he was stating the weather, while Dongyoon scrambles for his clipboard, “and Kim Dongyoon, convicted of intelligence theft,”

 

  
“Yeah, that’s us,” Jongchan tries to not show how much that unnerves him. The government system could obviously be broken into, but it was still very unsettling that these people knew.   
  


 

“We can remove your sentences and give you a clean state. In fact, nobody besides people you’ve told will ever know what had happened with you and the law,” 

Jongchan’s heartbeat drums between his ears. He barely resits wiping his sweaty palms on his coat, “What’s the catch?” Pulling off an endeavor like that requires some crazy ass hacking and/or high bribes. 

 

“Like we already said,” The non-jumpy intern crosses his arms, “Join us,” 


End file.
